April in August
by ElizabethWriter
Summary: Steve comes across a girl who has been sexually assaulted. What happened to her? Is she still in danger? Will Steve be able to keep her safe?


**A/N: This story has content about sexual assault.**

She heard the man's footsteps grow farther away until silence surrounded her. She suddenly realized that she had to breathe and a gasp filled her lungs. The gasps kept coming until she finally held one long enough to exhale. Tears started flowing hard but she felt unable to make a sound in the dark alley. Alone, lying on the pavement, the gravel uncomfortably sunk its teeth into her skin.

She tried to adjust her dress that was torn down the side seam, hoping that she could cover her bare legs. She was met with a screeching pain in her arm and her curse of silence ended as she cried out in pain. Giving up on fixing the fabric, she simply rolled onto her side, curling herself into a tight ball. Now she couldn't seem to keep quiet and her own cries filled her ears. She touched her hand to her forehead and felt the warmth of what must have been blood, trickling down the side of her face.

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McGarret decided he'd had enough of the hustle and bustle of the bar. He just needed a break. Pushing the heavy steel door open, he stepped out onto the pavement of the dark alley. He put his hands on his head and let out a sigh. He dropped his arms back to his sides and then paused. He heard a small noise. He stilled himself to listen closer, hand instinctively hovering over his holster. He heard the sound again, confirming for sure—he was hearing sobbing in the distance.

He pulled the gun from his hip and raised it, unsure of who and what he'd find. He quickly turned the corner, snapping his weapon into position as well. He was shocked at what he'd found: a girl, curled up in a ball, bloodied and crying. He swept his gun over the scene to ensure he was alone and not in the presence of whoever had harmed the girl. He holstered his weapon and immediately ran over to her. He knelt down beside her.

"Hey," he called gently with no response.

Her eyes were wandering elsewhere. She was literally trembling in fear.

"Hey, can you hear me?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. That certainly got her attention, but not in the way he'd hoped.

She jumped, withdrawing from him as quickly as possible while screaming. One hand swung wildly to hit him away.

"DON'T!" She shrieked. "D-don't touch me," her voice shrinking into tears.

"Okay, okay," Steve soothed, placing his hands in the air. He glanced up and saw a pair of panties crumpled up a couple yards away. He looked back down at her ripped dress and closed his eyes, swallowing hard, trying to push the terrible trauma she must have just endured out of his mind.

The girl glanced at the gun on his hip and she further withdrew into herself. "Please don't hurt me," she nearly whispered.

"It's okay," he quickly reassured her, "I'm a police officer. I'm not going to hurt you." He slowly pulled off his badge and placed it in her hand. She looked at the badge, running her thumb over the cool metal. Her panic retreated a bit.

She begged herself to trust him, but a part of her was still filled with fear.

"No one is going to hurt you," he said with his voice full of sincere promise. She looked in his eyes and he held her gaze steady. Steve seemed to be reaching her. "I'm going to call for some help, okay?"

There was then a nod from the girl and he produced a phone from the pocket of his jeans.

"This is commander McGarret with five-O. I have a two-six-one involving a teenage girl in the alleyway behind Kula's bar. I need EMS as soon as possible. Send units and my team as well."

He hung up and looked at the wide-eyed girl.

"Can you tell me your name?" He asked gently.

"April," She responded, blinking away more tears.

"Hi April, my name's Steve," He said with a kind smile and April seemed to relax a little. "You have a pretty good cut on your head there. Do you think I could take a look at it?" He asked carefully.

She bit the inside of her cheek and gave a nod of consent. He leaned in to get a closer view of the wound. He brushed some of her brown hair away, never making contact with her skin for fear of startling her again. The cut would definitely need stitches. He noticed she was staring up at him.

"We're going to get you help, April," he said confidently. She nodded in response, not taking her eyes off of him.

 **A/N: I hope you liked this read. Was April assault random, or was someone out to get her? Is she still in danger? Will Steve get her to open up? I'm not sure how I feel about this story, so let me know what you think.**


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